Electrical contact-finger.



PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

H. K. SANDELL.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT FINGER.

fizverziwt' v I finy fdandelz APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY K. SANDELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MILLS NOVELTY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT-FINGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. SANDELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Contact-Fingers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of electricalcontact-fingers, such as are employed in connection with electrical sell-playing instruments, to close the circuit by engaging, through perforations in a traveling music-sheet, with an electrical contactroller across which the sheet move This variety of contact-finger usually involves a socket on one end for holding a hunch of line wires, forming the contacting element of the device, which is removably fastened in the socket by means of a set-screw.

The object of my invention is to enable the set-screw fastening medium for the bunch oi contact-wires to be dispensed with because it is unhandy to manipulate, for loosening a bunch to permit it to be withdrawn, as when it is worn, and for fastening a new bunch in place in the socket. To this end I provide on the finger a spring catch adapted to engage at its free end releasably with the wire-bunch in the socket adjacent to an end of the latter and exert lateral pressure against the bunch to bind its stem-portion against the inner socketwall, and thus hold the bunch in place.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, greatly exaggerated in size, with the contact-member proper disconnected and the spring catch in its normal position under that condition of the device; and Fig. 2, a similar view of the same with the contact-member proper in position in the socket and engaged by the spring catch.

The body 3 of the contact-finger is a thin strip of metal, preferably spring-metal and bent to the shape represented, terminating at one end in a socket 4, to receive the contacting element 5, in the form of a plurality oi fine short wires bunched together into a soldered stem-portion G to enter the socket and leave protruding beyond an end of the latter the brush-like section 7. On the strip 3 is fastened, as by soldering, one end of the retaining-catch 8, the preferred form 01 which is that shown of a bent spring-wire 9 terminating at its free end in a hook or loop 10. This hook normally extends in the path of insertion oi the element 5 into the socket, as represented in Fig. 1, so that to permit the insertion the spring 8 requires to be deflected to register the hook with the insertion-end of the socket; and when the stem-portion 6 has been introduced into the socket, the spring is released to per mit it to return toward its normal position, in doing which the hook encounters the inserted member, as represented in Fig. 2, and exerts sufficient lateral pressure against it to bind its stem-portion against the inner socket-wall and hold the contact-bunch in place. The element 5 is thus very easily withdrawable, as when it becomes worn, for replacement by a new one, since all that is required for the purpose is to deflect the catch to the described alining position for per- Initting the insertion, whereby its binding action on the bunch is released.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an electrical contaciyfingcr, the combination of a body having a socket on one end, a member consisting of a bunch of wires reinovnbly inserted into said socket to protrude beyond the same, and a spring catch releasahly engaging said bunch adjacent to the socket and exerting lateral pressure against. the bunch to bind the stem-pen tion against the inner socketwall, for the purpose set forth.

2. An electrical eontactfinger comprising, in combination, a metal strip provided on one end with a socket, a spring catch fastened to said strip and terminating at its free end in a loop at the insertion-end of said socket and normally obstructing said insertioncnd, and a contactmember consisting of a bunch of wires removahly inserted into said socket and engaged by said loop, for the pun pose set forth.

HENRY K. SANDELL.

In the presence of A. U. THORIEN,

C. W. Wasnmmnn. 

